


Stronger Than We Started

by CommanderGay



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Post 1x13, Post-Canon, demon stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 00:49:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7337899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CommanderGay/pseuds/CommanderGay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Waverly fights for control after she touches the goo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was only going to make one chapter, but then I decided to make a short angsty first chapter and a longer second chapter. Maybe I'll make three chapters? Idk yet

The moment Waverly's finger touches the goo, she thinks, _this was a dumb idea_. Why the hell did she think it was a good idea to do it in the first place? She knows better than to do _that_. But she wasn't thinking; not about _that_ at least. Her mind had been whirring with other things.

_"You're not even an Earp."_

The words resound in her hear over and over and over again like a broken record, making it almost impossible to think of anything else. The rest of her mind is taken up by Willa's death. She can't determine how she feels about it. Sorrow? Relief? If she were being honest with herself, she knows it's mostly the latter. Does that make her a horrible person? She was _relieved_ that her _sister_ was _dead_.

 _Sister,_ she thinks. _Huh._

_"You're not even an Earp."_

Was it really possible? She wasn't an Earp? Was Bobo telling the truth, or had he been just trying to throw her off? But it made sense. It branched explanation to why daddy never paid her any attention. Why she never got a tick on the wall when she would grow taller. Why he never noticed when it was her birthday. Why she was the least loved of the Earp sisters.

Because she wasn't an Earp.

So no, she wasn't thinking straight when she crouched down in front of the mysterious goo. She wasn't thinking straight when she pulled her glove off. She wasn't thinking straight when she reached down to touch it. But, damn, was she thinking straight the very _second_ her finger dips down into the thick blackness. The moment her skin touches the very warm goo, contrasting the freezing snow surrounding it, she regrets it. It only takes about three seconds until it takes over her, but in those long three seconds, as the uncomfortably warm sensation agonizingly tingles up her arm, across her chest, and through the rest of her body, she _thinks_.

She thinks she's stupid, first of all, for letting herself do this. She's done enough research about supernatural beings in her lifetime to know that when there's creepy black goo on the ground where your demon killing sister had just killed a giant leech less than an hour ago, you. Don't. Touch. It. She thinks about Wynonna and Doc, standing somewhere behind her, and she thinks that, maybe she can yell something for them as warning of what is to possibly come, because she knows this isn't just going to be some cool super power she's going to have acquired from some evil creature that swooped Willa up and tried to kill Wynonna, as much as she wishes it was just that. But she can't get her mouth open to shout, and she knows it's because _I_ _t_ won't let her. She thinks of Nicole, and what if she never sees her again? She never even got to tell her she loves her... Lastly, she thinks of the town of Purgatory, all weird and cursed, and overrun by Revenants, and full of people she's known for all of her life. Most of them were total dick heads, but they didn't deserve what was going to happen.

What _was_ going to happen, anyway? Waverly has no idea, but as whatever it is she touched spreads through her body, she knows it's not going to have her handing out puppies to every resident in Purgatory, or going door to door with a box of freshly baked cookies.

This was something _bad,_ and Waverly feels it in the seconds it takes to take over her. Waverly knows she has to fight whatever it is, but she knows it won't be a walk in the park. It won't even be a run through a blizzard, buck naked and blindfolded. With the last ounce of thought she can muster as she feels herself slipping away, she doesn't even think there will be any sort of running, walking, jogging, skipping, crawling, nothing, in this fight.

She's already lost.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't been able to go through this chapter to check for mistakes, so..... Yep, sorry if there are a bunch!

It's like being stranded in the middle of the ocean alone. Only, she's been like that for most of her life, so it's nothing new. She's felt alone since Wynonna left all those years ago, hopping onto another boat and paddling off without her. When she met Nicole, however, it was like a light in the middle of that dark ocean she's been stuck in for years. It's like the bellow of a ship's horn in the distance, letting her know she's not alone; that somebody is finally coming to save her. The closer she got to Nicole-- the closer the ship got to her life boat, the closer she feel its presence. The ship was beside her now, and Nicole was reaching out to help her climb aboard. Waverly's hand is in Nicole's, her touch warm and making Waverly feel not so alone. Nicole felt like _home_ and everything Waverly had been missing in her life. She wasn't alone anymore.

But Nicole's hand slips from hers like a gust of wind, and the next thing she knows, Waverly is falling into the ocean and the lifeboat and the ship are nowhere in sight. She's fighting to stay afloat, fighting to keep air in her lungs. She's flapping and paddling to keep her head out of the water. It's the longest and the shortest three seconds of her life. She knows she's losing when she takes that first airless gulp. The sky above her-- the black goo covering her fingertip-- is slipping away into blackness.

And then there's nothing.

She can barely breathe; she's suffocating. She's fighting to regain control, but she has no idea how.

"You ready?"

She hears her own voice echoing around her, and she fights harder. It's foggy and it's like looking through a peep hole in the wall with half closed eyes, but she can finally see. Wynonna stands in front of her, Doc beside her. She wears her signature smirk as she looks at her baby sister.

"Sweetheart," Wynonna echoes in her head. "I'm ready for anything."

Waverly is screaming. The Waverly trapped in Waverly's mind, not the physical body of Waverly. She's screaming as she pushes against the current holding her back. She feels what the demon is planning and she _has_ to stop it. But she's not strong enough. She can't do it. She would be too late anyway, because she feels her body move without wanting it to. The gun is raised and its target is her big sister. Wynonna Earp.

Waverly is screaming and crying as It presses her finger to the trigger. The blow of the gun sets It back, and Waverly looks to the snow covered ground to see Doc Holliday on top of Wynonna. The snow is glistening white, no crimson red anywhere in sight. Doc had saved her.

It raises Waverly's gun hand once more for a second attempt, but in the time between the first shot and now, Waverly has managed to gain _some_ control back. Waverly jerks her hand away from her sister and Doc, and the gun flies out of her hand. It's all she can do before It pushes through again, and with a deep animalistic growl, It sends her lunging for the weapon.

"Waverly!?" Wynonna cries out in shock.

Doc clambers to his feet and tackles Waverly, just inches away from the gun. They fight on the ground, both trying to get the upper hand, while Waverly fights It as well. The demon inside of her makes the physical Waverly much stronger, and both Waverly and Doc are starting to lose. The last thing Waverly sees is Wynonna standing above them, her gun raises before she swings it down.

And the world goes black again.

 

"She attacked you, Wynonna."

"That wasn't her, you know that. You saw her face! You saw her eyes!"

"So what, we're just gonna leave her here to try and _kill_ you again? You weren't fighting her, Wynonna, you didn't feel her strength. This won't hold--"

"This is my baby sister, Doc. This is _Waverly!_ I'm not letting anything happen to her!"

"Guys, she's waking up."

_"Doc."_

Waverly's eyes flutter open and the first thing she sees is fire red hair and honey brown eyes. Nicole sits beside her on the bed, dressed in casual clothes and her hair falling past her shoulders. Her eyes search Waverly's face worriedly, ad the frown set upon her face hides the dimples she loves so much. She tries to reach up and cup her girlfriend's cheek, but her arm lifts only about two inches before something stops her. She looks to her hand to find restraints tied her wrist and wrapped through the cars of her headboard, before it ties around her other wrist.

"Waverly..." She looks to the end of the bed at the sound of Wynonna's voice, and is greeted with the barrel of one of Doc's revolvers. Wynonna stands beside him, watery eyes on her.

"Is this Waverly, or the Revenant?" Doc asks. Waverly can see the sadness in his deep blue eyes, but he hides it fairly well behind his professional and protective stance. And the gun.

Waverly opens her mouth, but it's so dry, her name barely comes out a croaked mess. Beside her, Nicole takes a glass of water from the nightstand and offers it to her. Her head is fuzzy and she feels light and dizzy, but she lifts her head as best as she can so Nicole can tip the cup delicately toward her lips. For feeling like she's been drowning in the ocean the last time she was awake, she's so thirsty, she drinks the glass dry in three large swallows.

"How can we be so certain?" Doc asks, not daring to lower his gun.

"Doc." Wynonna warns, sending a glare his way before she looks back down at Waverly with a gentle expression on her face. "How you feelin', baby girl?"

Nicole brings the glass back to Waverly's lips, once again full. "Like a demon has taken over my body and is trying to kill my sister." She answers when she empties the glass again. "I feel restrained." She lazily pulls at the rope around her wrists. "Both literally, and metaphorically."

Doc scrutinizes her for just a moment longer, before he drops his gun back into its holster. Waverly turns her dead to look out the window at the dark sky outside and groans at the hard throb that jolts through her head.

"Yeah, sorry about that, sis, I had to knock you out." Wynonna says, touching her own forehead where Waverly had a bandaged cut on her own.

"Baby," Nicole says as she laces her fingers into Waverly's. "You had me so worried."

Waverly smirks up at her girlfriend. "Was this your idea?" She pulls at the restraints again. "I didn't know you were into that kind thing, but I'm definitely willing to give it a try." Nicole's cheeks turn a rosy shade of red and she finally smiles down at the brunette, showing off the deep dimples. "There it is."

"Ugh," Wynonna groans. "I think I actually barfed a little in my mouth."

Waverly smiles and laughs lightly as she lifts her head to kiss Nicole. The last time she had seen her, Nicole was trying to steady her breathing after getting shot. Now, it was Waverly's turn to be in distress, and she had no idea how long it would last.

"Let's get her untied already." Wynonna says, coming up closer to Waverly's place on the bed.

"Wynonna, that may not but such a good idea." Doc says, taking a step closer. He looks to Waverly sadly. "Waverly, I am sincerely sorry, but--"

"You're right." Waverly interrupts, nodding to Doc. "Don't untie me. That thing is still inside of me, I can feel it. I don't want to hurt anyone, but I can't control myself. It's a lot stronger than me."

"What happened?" Wynonna asks, sitting at Waverly's other side and rubbing her hand comfortingly.

"I touched the good." Waverly explains. "That stuff left by the giant monster you killed. When I touched it, It immediately started to spread and take over. I'm so sorry, Wynonna, I wasn't thinking clearly. I know I shouldn't have done it, and now look where we are."

Wynonna pulls a small container from her jacket, and Waverly _senses_ it even before she sees the black liquid inside. There's a shudder inside of her, and she involuntarily pulls hard at the restraints. Doc reaches for his gun, and Wynonna stands back up in alert. Only Nicole stays planted at her side, her hand squeezing Waverly's harder. Waverly focuses her attention on the contact and locks her gaze on the woman she loves. The distraction keeps It away. It's not here for Nicole; it's here for Wynonna.

"God, I wish now more than ever that Dolls was here." Wynonna says. "He would be able to send this stuff to the lab so we could figure out how to get it out of my baby sister."

"Well then," Doc says, and Waverly looks away from Nicole to look at him. He looks between the three of them as he adjusts his hat on his head. "I reckon we had betta' go 'n find him."

It's like a trigger is pulling inside of Waverly, and she feels It push through. She slips away so fast, she doesn't even have time to fight against the current before she's gone. Her grip on Nicole's hand tightens uncomfortably and she twists it upwards. Nicole drops to her knees on the floor, angling herself so as to not let Waverly snap her wrist as she cries out in pain. Waverly is struggling against the restraints on her wrist, pulling and jerking and flailing now.

"I am going to _kill_ her before you find a way to get me out." It says in Waverly's voice. "And then I will kill _you_. I will kill all of you!"

Wynonna runs to Nicole's side and manages to pry her hand loose. At the same time, there is a ripping sound, and Waverly's other hand is free. She swings her arm toward Wynonna, but Doc is there in time to grab it and pin her back to the bed. Wynonna joins Doc in trying to keep her on the bed, fighting the tiny girl who seems to have gained the strength of four bodybuilders put together. The roars leaving her mouth are less _Waverly_ and more demon, and her eyes have gone completely black. Unlike at the edge of the Ghost River Triangle, there is sign of Waverly inside of the writhing body this time.

Everything stops, however, with the swing of a ukulele. The roars stop, the struggling stops, and Waverly is once again out cold. Wynonna and Doc look up to see Nicole holding a now broken pink ukulele. She drops the instrument to the floor with shaking hands, and lets out a deep breath.

"I'll buy her a new one." The officer mumbles.

Wynonna hunches over her little sister, heaving. Sweat is already starting to form on her forehead. Doc wasn't exaggerating about her strength. "We really need to find a different way to put her down."

 

Waverly isn't sure how long it's been since she was last conscious, but she doesn't care anymore. Wynonna, Nicole, and Gus -- whoever's round it is to keep watch on her -- sedate her whenever she starts fighting the restraints or becoming too overpowering or just plain annoying. She hasn't seen Doc since the first time she woke up, ad no one will tell her where he is. She's grown tired -- _exhausted_ \-- of fighting with It. She's not sure if IT's getting stronger, or she's getting weaker.

Right now, Nicole is in her usual spot in a chair by the bed, dressed in her uniform after getting off of her shift. Waverly sits on the dresser, flipping though the pages of one of Waverly's books about supernatural creatures.

"You're not going to find me in there. You already looked through that book." Waverly says simply. It's enough to let the other two know they're not talking to Waverly. It's been like this more and more as the days go by.

Wynonna ignores her, continuing to search the book anyway. Nicole avoids look at Waverly, choosing to rest her head in her hands, her elbows on the edge of the bed. Waverly lets out an eerie chuckle.

"You really are stupid, Wynonna." She says. "Don't you see you can't beat me? You can't defeat something you know nothing about! Let me go, ad I'll make your death as quick and painless as I can." Wynonna keeps her eyes on the book as though nobody had spoken. Nicole, on the other hand, is tired and misses her girlfriend, and lets out a frustrated groan.

"Will you just shut up for once? Get out of my girlfriend!" She growls.

It's attention if on Nicole now, and with the tilt of Waverly's head and a faux pout, she teases, "If I did that, there's be nothing left to keep this hot body going. I squashed that pest _days_ ago. Waverly's gone."

With that, Wynonna finally looks up at them, eyes dark and heavy. "You're so full of shit, you're starting to attract flies."

Waverly sighs lightly, a smirk on her face. "That would be Waverly's rotting soul, that's attracting them, I'm afraid." She turns back to Nicole now. "I did her a favor. She was so tired of you already, following her around like a lovesick fool. You were just an experiment to her, Nicole. She didn't love you. She didn't even _like_ you."

Nicole just stares at her, mouth partly open, as she tries to take in what It's saying. Right then, however, she feels a gentle hand touch her own, and she doesn't need to look down to see Waverly caressing her hand to know _that_ is very _Waverly_. The way her thumb writes their names slowly ad then draws a heart; it's something the smaller woman would do when they would be sitting on Nicole's loveseat watching TV. _This_ is Waverly. She's still alive in there.

Wynonna comes up beside her in that moment, syringe in hand, and pushes the sedative into her arm, and the youngest Earp drifts into a slumber.

 

"I told you, you won't find me in any books." Wynonna sits by the bed, flipping through yet another one of Waverly's book, to no avail. As usual, she ignores the words It says to her in Waverly's voice, and continues looking through the book. It watches Wynonna in silence for a while longer, a sadistic smile on Waverly's face until she finally speaks.

"Waverly is so depressed in here." Wynonna ignores her. "She been very conflicted about something. She doesn't want me to tell anyone, but... well, of course I'm going to do it."

Wynonna sighs, and lifts her head from the book, giving Waverly a bored look. Waverly hums her delight.

"Are you ready for this?" Waverly clears her throat. "She's not an Earp." Wynonna furrows her brows at her. "You can imagine her surprise when Bobo told her, yeah. She cried for hours, while you were off killing your sister. _Your_ sister. Not _her_ sister. 'Cause she's not an Earp!" Waverly cackles. "Poor girl has spent all this time crying about this and that in here, she barely had any fight left in her!"

Wynonna stands from her chair, fuming and hurt. "You're lying." She growls. Waverly only laughs more. The laugh is nothing like Waverly's, just like everything else about her nowadays is nothing like her.

At the sudden racket, Nicole comes barreling in, breathing heavily. "What's going on?"

"Hey, she may not be an Earp, but she could be a Haught! That is, if I weren't going to kill her!" More laughing.

"You're lying!" Wynonna yells, her fists clenching and unclenching. "You're lying!!"

Nicole rushes over, grabs the sedative from the nightstand, and sticks a manically laughing Waverly. They watch as It fades from the brown orbs they knew so well, until eyelids fall lightly and hide them away. A tear slips past her eyelashes and onto the pillow underneath her head, and she looks peaceful again. She looks like Waverly again.

Before Nicole turns to look at Wynonna and finds her tear streaked cheeks and red in the face, she kicks her chair across the room and storms out of the door as it falls to the floor in pieces. Nicole's sits at the edge of the bed and rests her head in her hands. She inhales deeply and holds her breath, fighting to keep herself composed. It's too much, though. Everything is just too much. The first sob that leaves her mouth is like a crack in a damn, and it breaks apart in her as she cries hard into her palms.

She just wants her girlfriend back. That's all she wants. That's all she'll ever need.

 

It's excruciating. She feels like she's being ripped in half, and those two halves of are being ripped in half, and those halves are getting ripped even more, and she thinks she might be dying. She always liked to think her death would be quick; _painless_. Not agonizingly slow and torturous. She'd imagined it was many, many years in the future, when she was old and grey. It would be in her sleep. For the last couple of months, she even started to imagine a special dimple-cheeked, beautiful woman by her side for her last breaths. That was how Waverly wanted to leave this world.

But you don't always get what you want.

This was the end for her. She's so weak already, this was just the icing on the cake. Everything is black, just as it's been for what feels like _years_ already. There's so much _pain_. So much _pulling,_ so much _ripping_ _._ She just wants to give up, to surrender. She truly cannot take the pain anymore. The pain started not too long ago, though it feels like it's been there all this time. Since it started, it doesn't leave, but there are waves of it that crash over her that make it all worse. The next one that hits her is the strongest one yet. There's screaming; she can't tell if it's _her_ screaming, or the demon. (It's probably the both of them.) It's too much for her. She can't do this anymore. She's _done_.

She starts to slip away, saying goodbye to everyone she loves in her mind as the pain starts to fade. She's finally going to be free from the prison the demon made her body into for her.

"Come back to me, baby. Fight through it!" The voice is so quiet, she almost doesn't hear it. But there's no way she could ever _not_ recognize that melodious, lightly accented voice. Nicole was calling to her.

It's that voice, that one voice that feels like home to Waverly, that makes her fight again.

 

When she opens her eyes, her vision is completely clear for the first time since before she touched the black puddle. She feels light and _alive_. She looks over to the window at the night sky, and sees the bright, welcoming moon.

"Waves." That same gentle voice that had Waverly fighting back, grabs her attention, and she looks away from the winder and at the bright brown eyes staring right back at her.

"Nicole."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you got a little confused at the end, the pain she's feeling is from the exorcism. Doc went to save Dolls, and Dolls helped them out. I was going to add that stuff in there, but then I was like, eh. So I'll just explain it to you here! This is probably going to be part of a collection, but I'm in a bit of a rush right now cuz I have to leave in a bit, so I'll figure it out when I get back! Lemme know what you thought!

**Author's Note:**

> Send recs and stuff on my Tumblr @GayAssHeda  
> I only want to write canon/canon divergence for Wayhaught, but I write anything for Clexa


End file.
